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Prohibition
Although proposed on December 18, 1917, the 18th Ammendment, banning the consumption and production of alchohol, was put into effect on January 16, 1920. In 1919, however, the Volstead Act was put into play enforcing the prohibition laws. A major reason for prohibition was women were getting the wrath of intoxicated husbands. All liquor found was drained by officials. -
Sacco and Vanzetti
Sacco and Vanzetti were italian immigrants charged with armed robbery and murder of a store clerk. Although there was little evidence, they were executed for the crime. To this day, the guilt/innocence of Sacco and Vanzetti is not clear. They are looked upon as symbols of opressive government. -
First Beauty Pagaent
Trying to find a way to continue the celebration of Labor Day, the Businessmen's League of Atlantic City organized a "Fall Frolic". Three hundred and fifty decorated rolling wicker chairs were pushed down the parade route. The center of attraction was the young women sitting in the chairs, led by a woman in a long robe representing Peace. Soon after, pagaents were held anually based on several photo submissions and newspaper articles requesting the competition for beauty. -
Invention of the Lie Detector
John A. Larson was a medical student at the University of California when he invented the lie detector. This device measured heartbeats and breathing to learn if a person is lying or not. It later included a skin monitoring system to tell if a person is sweating. If a person was sweating and their breathing and pulse became higher, an alarm would sound telling that the person was lying -
The Teapot Dome Scandal
In 1922, Albert Fall leased the Teapot Dome fields to a Sinclair Oil represenative, and the field at Elk Hills, California, to Edward Doheny. The problem was that he did this without public bidding. Later, investigators found that Doheny and Sinclair had lent Fall large amounts of money. Eventually, Fall was convicted for conspiracy and for accepting bribes. Fall went to jail and faced a fine of $100,000. In 1927 the fields were restored to the Federal Government. -
First Successful Use of Insulin
Insulin is a hormone that regulates the amount of sugar in your blood and is required for your body to function normally. While being discovered in Toronto, Canada in 1921, the first successful test on a human patient with diabetes occurred on January 23, 1922. Insulin was first tested on dogs to monitor the results. Dr. Banting and John J. R. MacLeod were awarded the Nobel Prize for the discovery and use of insulin. -
Death of President Harding
While on a return trip from Alaska with his wife, Harding suffered from a case of food poisioning. A few days later, Harding was found dead. Rumours speculated that Harding had poisioned his own food as an attempt to get away from the despair of the so-called "Harding Scandals". Others suggested that Mrs. Harding poisoned him to end his unfaithfulness to his country. Physician records indicate that he had suffered from high blood pressure and that a heart attack was the cause of death. -
"The Monkey Trial"
On May 5, 1925, John Scopes was convicted of teaching the theory of evolution to his classroom. The teaching of the Bible was illegal, so the Tennessee state legislators decided that it should be illegal to teach evolution as well. The Butler act inforced this. At the end of his trial, Scopes was found guilty and charged $100. -
The First Sound-Motion Picture
Americas first motion picture, "The Jazz Singer" premiered in September 1925 and included full diaouge for the first time in history. It instantly became a hit. Warner Bros. acquired the movie rights on June 4, 1926, The show was a musical film containging six songs sung by Al Jolson. The movie is based on a play by Samson Raphaelson. -
Lindbergh Flies Across Atlantic
On May 20, 1927, Charles Lindbergh was the first man to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. He departed in Long Island, NY and landed in Paris in his plane called "The Spirt of St. Louis. On his flight he packed only a quart of water and a few sandwiches. The flight took him 33.5 hours to accomplish. He became an instant world-wide celebrity. -
First Television Broadcast
The first regularly scheduled television broadcast in the United States began on July 2, 1928. Authorized by the Federal Radio Commission, C.F. Jenkins was allowed to broadcast from an experimental station in Wheaton, Maryland. His broadcasts included 48 line silhouette images from motion picture films. -
First Animated Cartoon
"Steamboat Willy" was the first Disney cartoon to feature synchronized sound and was an immediate hit. The cartoon was written and directed by Walt Disney. It first premiered in New Yorks 79th Street theatre. In 1994, "Steamboat Willy" was voted #13 of The 50 greatest cartoons of all time by members of the animation field. -
Flagpole Sitting
In the 1920's, flagpole sitting was a form of great entertainment. People would literally climb to the top of a flagpole and compete for the longest sitting time on a bench at the top of the poles. In1929 for example, Alvin "Shipwreck" Kelly set a record. Shipwreck's initial 1924 sit lasted 13 hours and 13 minutes. It soon became a fad with other contestants setting records of 12, 17 and 21 days. In 1929, Alvin Kelly sat on a plagpole for 49 days. -
Black Thursday
Black Thursday, folliwing Black Tuesday, was a day when people panicked and started dumping enourmous amounts of money into the stock market in hope of bringing the value of stocks back up. -
Black Tuesday
"Black Tuesday" is referred to as the beginning of the Great Depression. Between early September and the end of October 1929, the stock market lost a total of 40% in less than 8 weeks. The market continued to fall several years after Black Tuesday.
